Obstruction call becomes talk of baseball world

Oct. 27, 2013

MLB executive vice president for baseball operations Joe Torre participates in a news conference regarding the obstruction call against Boston's Will Middlebrooks in the ninth inning of Game 3 on Saturday night. / Getty Images

Written by

Ben Walker

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — By Sunday morning, most everyone had become an expert on the obstruction rule.

“How can u make a call like that in the World Series,” rapper Lil Wayne tweeted.

“Worst ending to a World Series game ever!” PGA golfer Hunter Mahan posted.

“Obstruction of justice,” Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely wrote.

No matter that the Official Baseball Rules have a slightly different take on what happened when St. Louis runner Allen Craig tripped over Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks in Game 3 late Saturday night.

But anytime someone scores the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning without even touching home plate — called safe on an extremely rare ruling by an umpire — it’s bound to cause a little ruckus.

“Umps made the right call last night. I still put my fist thru the wall. And I’m in a hotel so it was expensive,” comedian and Massachusetts native Denis Leary tweeted.

All sides seemed to agree on this point: Allen Craig tripping over Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks likely made for the most crazy, chaotic October finish of all-time.

And it gave St. Louis a 5-4 win at Busch Stadium and a 2-1 edge.

“As a baseball fan, you hate to see a game end like that,” pitcher Adam Wainwright said Sunday before Game 4. “Obviously I’m on the Cardinals, so I’m fortunate the rule is the way it is. And you hate to say it, but he impeded the process of running home.”

“But I totally understand why Red Sox players would be upset about that. That is just a horrible way to lose a baseball game, no question about it,” he said.

Said Red Sox manager John Farrell: “It wasn’t a normal night of sleep, I know that.”

For more than a century, the World Series has delivered dramatic endings — Kirk Gibson’s homer, Carlton Fisk’s shot, David Freese’s drive on this very same field in 2011.

There have been plenty of kooky plays — Reggie Jackson turning his hip to get hit by a throw, Roger Clemens throwing part of a broken bat toward Mike Piazza, an out in the 1970 Series when the catcher missed the runner and the runner missed the plate.

But no one had seen anything quite like this.

“Never,” umpire crew chief John Hirschbeck said.

“Never,” third base umpire Jim Joyce said after making the call.

Said Craig: “I didn’t know if I was out or safe or not.”

Craig was awarded home after getting tangled with Middlebrooks. A wild throw set off the sequence, and Middlebrooks was sprawled in the baseline and kicked up his legs as Craig tripped over him.

Running on a banged-up foot, Craig headed home and the throw by left fielder Daniel Nava beat him. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia made the tag in plenty of time and Craig never reached the plate. But umpire Dana DeMuth signaled safe, having seen Joyce’s call at third base.

Both teams immediately rushed to the plate. Middlebrooks threw down his glove and joined the Boston argument. The Cardinals came out to celebrate.